Director, Site Operations

About the Company We are a renewable energy and ocean technology company committed to rapidly developing and deploying technologies that will ensure a sustainable future for Earth by unlocking the vast energy potential of its oceans. Our focus is on capturing civilizational levels of ultra-low-cost renewable energy for applications including computing and affordable renewable fuels delivered to shore. The company is a public benefit corporation headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and backed by leading venture capitalists, philanthropic investors, university endowments, and private investment offices. We operate as an idea meritocracy in which the best ideas change the company’s direction on a regular basis. Our staff have worked at organizations such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing, Tesla, Apple, Virgin Orbit, Astra, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, New Relic, Bridgewater, Raytheon, Disney Imagineering, and the US Army and Air Force, as well as research universities, startups, and small companies across a range of industries. About the Job Our core technology is the node, a device that produces energy in the ocean’s harshest conditions for years at a time without human maintenance or intervention. We are seeking a Director, Site Operations to lead the day-to-day operational performance of Panthalassa’s regional facilities and build the systems that will support their growth. The Director will have direct responsibility for our headquarter and R&D campus, our Portland headquarters and primary hub for R&D, engineering, prototyping, and business operations, while leading Site Operations Managers at our other locations. Each site should have clear operational ownership, consistent support, and a leader who understands what is happening on the ground. You will set and sustain a high standard for how our sites are maintained, organized, and made ready for work. You will make sure that standard is reflected in daily conditions and practices across locations, and that site leaders address issues promptly and consistently. You will use sound judgment when site conditions or practices create safety, reliability, or operational concerns, working with the relevant functional leaders to resolve them and prevent recurrence. You will build the operating model behind that performance: clear roles and decision paths, useful site routines, responsive services, effective vendor relationships, and ways to identify and resolve recurring problems. You will keep a close view of site needs and emerging constraints, then turn what you learn into practical improvements that make operations more consistent and responsive as Panthalassa grows. This role connects functional expertise to local execution. You will work closely with Facilities Engineering, Workplace Experience, EHS, Security, Real Estate, IT, Capital Delivery, Manufacturing, R&D, and other teams to understand upcoming needs, coordinate work that affects a site, and ensure local priorities and constraints are addressed. Those teams retain ownership of their technical and professional standards; Site Operations ensures their work comes together effectively at each location. This is a systems-building and leadership role. You will remain closely involved in Banfield while building and developing Site Operations Managers who can lead their locations with clear accountability. Your success will show in sites that are consistently well-run, responsive to the people who use them, and ready to support Panthalassa’s changing work. Candidates should have strong interpersonal skills and be able to thrive in a creative, scrappy, and collaborative environment in which the best ideas change the company’s direction on a regular basis. Responsibilities Regional Site Operations Leadership • Lead Site Operations across Panthalassa’s regional facilities, with direct responsibility for the corporate campus and leader and mentorship of Site Operations Managers at other locations. • Hire, develop, and manage a high-performing Site Operations team with clear ownership, priorities, and expectations. • Establish consistent operating standards, service levels, and expectations across sites while accounting for the unique needs of each location. • Maintain visibility into major activities, constraints, and risks across the regional portfolio and ensure resources are aligned with business priorities. • Serve as the escalation point for significant site issues, operational conflicts, and service gaps. • Maintain hands-on involvement at the main corporate campus facilities while developing a regional operating model that does not depend on the Director personally solving every problem. Cross-Functional Operations & Planning • Serve as a senior operational partner to Engineering, Manufacturing, R&D, Facilities Engineering, EHS, Security, IT, Real Estate, and other functions. • Build strong relationships with functional leaders to understand upcoming work, growth plans, and operational requirements. • Ensure Site Operations Managers are coordinating activities, shared resources, projects, moves, outages, deliveries, and other work that may affect multiple teams. • Identify operational impacts and resource constraints before they affect execution and bring together the appropriate teams to resolve them. • Translate company growth and changing operational requirements into site capabilities, staffing, services, and infrastructure needs. Systems & Operational Excellence • Build scalable systems, processes, and operating standards that make Panthalassa facilities high-performing, consistent, and turnkey. • Develop common operating rhythms, escalation paths, service models, and KPIs across sites. • Identify recurring operational friction and drive solutions that address root causes rather than repeated one-off fixes. • Implement tools, automation, vendors, and processes that improve visibility, coordination, service quality, and efficiency. • Establish mechanisms for sharing best practices and lessons learned between sites. • Continuously evaluate whether current operating systems can support the next stage of company growth and evolve them before they become constraints. Site Services, Vendors & Resources • Own the strategy for the vendors and services that support site operations, including janitorial, PPE, uniforms/laundry, furniture, waste, workplace supplies, fleet, logistics, and other shared services. • Establish regional vendor strategies and standards while supporting Site Operations Managers in local execution. • Develop scalable inventory, procurement, and replenishment strategies for operational supplies and shared resources. • Ensure workplace readiness along with Workplace Experience on space planning, employee accommodations, furniture, and team moves. • Partner with EHS, Security, Facilities Engineering, Real Estate, and property management on safety, security, utilities, wastewater, landlord, and other site requirements. Budget, Team & Growth Planning • Develop and own the regional Site Operations budget, including annual planning, forecasting, and ongoing management. • Establish site-level budgets and accountability while maintaining visibility into regional spending and future requirements. • Build business cases for staffing, vendors, tools, services, and operational investments. • Develop staffing and service models that scale with headcount, facility growth, and increasing operational complexity. • Identify opportunities to improve cost and operational efficiency without compromising safety, reliability, service quality, or employee productivity. Required Qualifications • 8+ years of experience in site operations, facilities operations, industrial operations, workplace operations, or a related field, including experience leading teams. • Experience supporting industrial, engineering, manufacturing, laboratory, R&D, or similarly complex environments. • Demonstrated ability to build and scale operational systems, teams, processes, and service models. • Experience managing operations across multiple facilities, sites, or complex operating environments. • Strong systems thinking and the ability to understand how people, facilities, services, resources, and business activities interact. • Experience managing significant operating budgets, vendors, procurement, and operational services. • Strong people leadership with experience developing managers and building effective teams. • Excellent cross-functional communication and the ability to influence and coordinate across technical and operational organizations. • Strong judgment with the ability to balance immediate operational needs against long-term scalability. • Comfortable operating at both strategic and tactical levels in a fast-changing environment. Desired Qualifications • Experience in a fast-growing startup or scale-up environment. • Experience building a regional or multi-site operations function. • Experience supporting headquarters, R&D campuses, manufacturing facilities, or mixed office/industrial environments. • Familiarity with industrial safety and commercial building operations. • Experience developing operational KPIs, service standards, and vendor strategies across multiple sites. • Experience supporting significant facility growth, new site launches, or organizational scaling. The above qualifications are desired, not required. We encourage you to apply if you are a strong candidate with only some of the desired skills and experience listed. Additional Requirements • This is an on-site leadership role based primarily at the main corporate campus. • Regular travel between Panthalassa’s regional locations is required. • Ability to move regularly throughout office, lab, shop, and industrial environments. • Intermittent availability outside normal business hours may be required for significant site issues or operational needs. • Travel to vendors and test sites as needed • Intermittently able to work longer hours and weekends to support critical needs. While we expect a lot of each other, we also offer a high degree of autonomy and work-life balance, including flexible PTO and flexible working hours. Compensation and Benefits If hired for this full-time role, you will receive: • Cash compensation of $190,000–$225,000. • Equity in the company. We’re all owners and if we’re successful, this equity should be far and away the most valuable component of your compensation. • A benefits package that helps you take care of yourself and your family, including: • Flexible paid time off • Health insurance (the company pays 100% of gold-level PPO plan for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents) • Dental insurance (the company pays 100% for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents) • Vision insurance (the company pays 100% for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents) • Disability insurance (the company pays 100% for a policy to provide long-term financial support if you become disabled) • Ability to contribute to tax-advantaged accounts, including 401(k), health FSA, and dependent care FSA • Relocation assistance to facilitate your move to Portland (if needed). Location This is an on-site position. Our offices, lab, and shop are located in Portland, Oregon.